Business communications often fail to keep pace with the demand for real-time communications to address mission-critical business needs. Unified Communications (UC) offers new flexibility and manageability across multimodal applications to deliver unprecedented levels of connection for the distributed workforce. It also provides a competitive differentiator by enabling employees to reach others more quickly and eliminate delays caused by the inability to reach key decision-makers. In conversation with The SmartTechie, V. Venkataraman, Country Manager — Enterprise Services Offerings, IBM, talks about the trends and future of UC.

What are the key trends you foresee in the workplace enabled by UC?

The virtual workplace will become the rule. No need to leave the office. Just bring it along. Desk phones and desktop computers will gradually disappear, replaced by mobile devices, including laptops that take on traditional office capabilities. Social networking tools and virtual-world meeting experiences will simulate the feeling of being there in person. Work models will be changed by expanded globalization and green business initiatives that reduce travel and encourage work at home.

Which new generation of collaboration tools is now becoming adopted in the workplace?

Instant messaging (IM) and other real-time collaboration tools will become the norm, bypassing e-mail. Just as e-mail became a business necessity, a new generation of workers has a new expectation for IM as the preferred method of business interaction. This will fuel more rapid adoption of UC as traditional IM becomes the core extension point for multi-modal communications. Companies will go beyond the initial capabilities of IM—like click-to-call and online presence—to deep integration with business processes and line-of-business applications, where they can realize the greatest benefit.